1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toys and more particularly to toys adapted to be twirled on the finger while an object is balanced on an outer balancing point of the toy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that a moving object tends to travel in a straight line unless subjected to a force applied at an angle to the direction of travel. When such a force is applied, the object is deflected and follows a curved path until the deflecting force is no longer applied.
This principle is illustrated in many toys. A child in a swing is forced to travel in a semi-circular path by the force exerted against his body by the swing on which he sits. Similarly, the familiar childhood trick of swinging a pail of water around one's head without spilling the water works because the pail exerts a force on the water causing it to travel in a substantially circular path as the pail is swung. In order to avoid a drenching, the person swinging the pail must keep it moving fast enough so that, as the water is swung up towards the top of the circular path, the force of gravity does not have sufficient time to accelerate the water downward until the upward vertical component of its motion is reduced to zero and the water falls free of the pail.
Prior art toys exist that operate on principles similar to those illustrated by the example of water in a pail but in which a rigid framework is substituted for the pail and small, solid objects are substituted for the water. Examples are discussed in Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,205, Kuney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,087, Castell, U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,985, and Colletti, U.S. Pat. No. 3,015,908. The toys illustrated in each of these patents employ rigid frames on which an object may be balanced and which may be rotated about a point on the frame remote from the balanced object. The object in Colletti rests in a depression formed in the frame. Taylor, Kuney, and Castell each show the balanced object resting on a pedestal that is substantially cylindrical with a flattened end that is upward facing when the toy is in the rest position. The pedestals shown in all of the prior art toys are relatively narrow structures that might well scratch or snag a person's flesh or clothing, furniture, or any other object with which they might collide if accidentally thrown.
Taylor and Kuney provide for the retention of the balanced objects should they slip off their pedestals. Taylor shows a flexible, thread-like member attached to the upper surface of each disc-shaped object to be balanced and extending therefrom to a point on the frame where the thread-like member may be attached. The objects in Kuney are so arranged that they fall into a cup-like retaining vessel should they slip off the pedestal. The arrangement shown in Kuney, while providing some safeguards against the danger of flying objects, nevertheless fails to positively secure the objects to the framework of the toy. An accidental flipping of the toy off the finger of the user could lead to the loss of the objects or to their striking a person standing in the vicinity. The thread-like members shown in Taylor avoid these difficulties. However, each end of the thread must be attached to a solid object, creating two points at which repeated bending could lead to a failure of material and consequent loss of the balanced object.